I know you are tied into your shop but they could try Nirvana Cycles – I think they have a 2012 314 in stock. The 2012 model has a better spec.

Don’t change what you want due to having to wait 3 months, hopefully it’s a bike that you’ll enjoy for years. Jan, Feb, Mar aren’t the greatest months anyway – save the new bike for the better weather ?

Superted – there is the Pig and the Piglet, 130 travel is more Piglet I think

Scruff – general forum chat is that the cable guides are great

Anymore feedback – I’m thinking of a Piglet ?

Take the Blur, you are used to it. I’ve ridden there on my Reign which was fine. Most of the riding is not full DH anyway, by all means rent one for a day or more. Riding a DH is fun and a new experience as they have a different feel and motion. Friends rented both DH and long travel AM in Les Gets last year and the bikes were decent quality although not top of the line brands.

A Jedi day is an excellent idea (I took a session in Dec) and far better use of your money than a DH bike. Also buy spare brake pads and some body armour, I rode most of the time in my normal lid but a full face is a good idea. A chain device is a good idea too. The bike will get beaten up relative to normal UK riding not least as with the lifts your doing so many more runs than riding up.

For an AM excursion go for lunch in Mont Caly, one very French place with stunning views. Accessible from Les Gets with red or black options back to village

Have fun.

Easyjet. The only reason to fly RyanAir is when there is no alternative including train or car.

For Garda you should think about where on the lake you want to be, I love the Northern end (Torbole, Malcezine which has the cable car) for the strong winds which are ideal for sailing and the lake hosts many top level events every summer. For a “beach” stay you might want a different spot on the lake.

The Spanish suggestions look great also

Save the extra drive time and just ride Les Arcs ?

It rained hard all afternoon in the Surrey Hills, I was out for 90 mins on Pitch Hill, very wet and super slippery as you’d expect

Endura Thermolites are great for frosty rides, on a warmer rainy day they’ll probably be a bit too warm, they are water resistant. If its not cold I dont wear them. How about waterproof 3/4 length shorts combined with your sealskinz. Your budget is tight for a truly waterproof product.

If there was a will when your father died you should ask to see it (really you should have done this at the time), the more resistance you encounter or denial one existed the more you should press as that is suspicious behaviour. It is possible your father left his wife a life interest in the house for example but upon his wife’s death it should be sold and the proceeds divided. It could of course be he had no will and thus automatically it passes to his wife and as noted she can do with the assets as she sees fit.

When your fathers wife dies you can challenge her will – first step is to put a caveat on it (look up online) this is easy to do and prevents will being executed u til the situation is resolved, any resolution will likely require solicitors etc

I just bought some today, got a half UK size up and they still felt snug around top of foot despite being “long”. Not ridden them yet.

To be upfront I’ve no experience of carbon in bikes but based on my yachting experience (where carbon is used in masts for example vs more traditional aluminium) I’d be uncomfortable with a carbon bike frame.

Carbon is very strong until it’s compromised then it disintegrates. It’s not hard to imagine a few rocks or a crash, particularly into something hard, compromising the frame. Also there is big variation in modulus (ie fibre density) so not all “carbon” is equal. High modulus is super strong but very expensive, the price of carbon has sky rocketed due to price of oil and lots of demand from the military.

Don’t own either but have heard feedback from those that do. Merc not of same quality as cars, reliability issues. VW used by business for moving about lots of stuff and good for towing. Unless you need/want a full size van you can do lots with smaller vans or medium sized 4wd with removal seats (eg we had prior shape Rav4 which had big volume with seats out and was a ‘proper car’ when required)? For what it’s worth I’m a massive VAG fan, they make great cars and are worth the modest price premium

As above Coldharbour is best car park for Summer Lightening. Don’t intend being an @rse but Summer Lightening shouldn’t be the focal point of your ride, there is so much more in the area. I strongly suggest you join a Nirvana Cycles Ride to explore the area.

In terms of other parking take a look at the OS map, there are lots of trails on Leith, Holmbury, Pitch Hills I personally like to base myself out of Peaslake, if bottom car parks are full there is a rarely used one up Radnor Road a little way below BKB start point. Route from Holmbury Village to/from Leith via Greenlands way is a decent ride up and down.

I treated myself to an early Christmas present session with Jedi and a truly worthwhile one it was too.

I asked to focus on all round riding and got a huge amount out of the session and had a great day under blue skies at what is a cool place to spend time. One key benefit for me was starting to understand how it feels to do things right and when things don’t go well to appreciate where I’ve missed one of the key ingredients.